Lilith, Eve and Lamya
by La La Blue and Fluffy
Summary: A very miserable Tom Riddle is having a horrible day during the annual seaside trip with the orphanage, when a huge and mysterious snake pays him a visit. And her idea of fun will make the little kids pay. Warning: graphic violence and creepy scene in the cave.


_Warning: There's a part that if you're squeamish... let's just say there are other, nicer things you could be doing right now. Because we find out what happened in the Horcrux cave with the orphans too. There is also some graphic violence in the beginning. So, this chapter is rated M, you've been warned._

Parseltongue is shown in _italics_ , emphasis in **bold** letters. And yeah, I was talking in Parseltongue till now. :P

"And stay there!" Mrs. Cole screamed, knobby finger poking the girl's skeletal chest so violently, the emaciated child took two steps back. She looked terrified at the matron of the orphanage, shyly at the much younger woman standing haughtily nearby and then turned around and raced for the door, instantly disappearing from sight.

The elder woman's face was red from anger and the heavy abuse of gin, and, in her rage, saliva sprayed all the orphans hanging from her skirts.

"As for you," she turned maliciously to a pale boy with high cheekbones who had his hands wrapped around himself, "pull one more stunt like that, Riddle, and I'll sell you back to that circus your whore of a mother came from! And they'll keep you locked up in a cage with the freaking child-eating lion!"

The matron extended a claw-like arm and tried to retrieve what Riddle was holding, but the child was not going down without a fight. They wrestled for a while, the hungry eyes of the orphans eating them up, when Mrs. Cole let out an off-tune shriek.

"You little freak!"

The next second, a bloody hand with distinctive bite marks on it hit the pale face so hard, the slap was echoed on the thin, filthy institution walls; the sharp nails slashed the cracked lips. Riddle didn't react audibly, just blinked, but the thing he had been so fiercely protecting fell from his hands onto the stony floor; a small book about basic algebra with a fine leather binding. His long fingers had stretched to get it back, but the matron was quicker. She swept it off the ground, blew on it and attempted to take away some of the dirt with her cuff, before turning to the beautiful, young woman who had been observing the scene all this time with an almost bored expression. Her nose wrinkled delicately as she smelled the alcohol in the older woman's breath and she, like the little beggar girl, moved away.

Mrs. Cole, perhaps due to her rage or maybe just the drinking, didn't seem to notice, for she faked a huge smile and spoke in what she thought was a sophisticated tone, ending up sounding unctuous instead.

"Here you go, madam, the gift to your beautiful, smart boy. I can't apologise enough for what happened, especially after having been so very kind to the children. I hope you don't think they're all like this, madam. You should know, madam-"

But the noblewoman shook her well-combed head, nodded to her maid to grab the book and, without uttering a single word, fled this bit of hell, mounting her car and ordering the chauffeur to get her back home as soon as possible.

The entrance hall of the orphanage remained quite frozen until the tail of the shiny car wasn't visible anymore, and then Mrs. Cole growled: "Riddle, yard, now."

She grabbed the boy by the shoulder and dragged him outside, the rest of the orphans instantly picking fights with each other over the positions at the windowsills. Tom followed the matron lazily, his expression completely unreadable.

The woman unfastened the leather belt that held her plain dress in place, and hissed: "Kneel!"

For the first time since all that mess had begun, the boy's expression changed, and he stared back defiantly, his posture as rigid as a board; he was not going to kneel, he was not going to bow to anyone.

Mrs. Cole's eyes narrowed, and she gave his head a great push, shoving him to the ground. He fell to the asphalt, his skinny, weak body not able to resist the force. The belt's strike came a second later.

"I have told you" –strike- "that I'm running" –strike- "a respectable institution" –strike- "that teaches civilization" -strike- "and manners" –strike- "to poor, unfortunate children," –strike- "and whores and criminals" –strike- "have no place here!" –strike- "I won't tolerate" –strike- "being humiliated" –strike- "in front of important guests" –strike- "by a freak!" –strike- "I'm giving you everything" –strike- "and you spit on it" –strike- "when I could let you starve on the streets!" –strike- "But we'll see" –strike- "what the loony" –strike- "bin" –strike- "doctor" –strike- "says!"

And with a last smack at the head with her shoe, Mrs. Cole left for the building, where the other kids jeered and pointed sarcastically at the show.

Tom Riddle was crumbled on the floor breathing hard, pieces of flesh hanging loosely from his back, blood stains spreading on his grey tunic and dripping down to the dirty courtyard. His icy gaze, as unreadable as ever, hadn't faltered for a moment, not a single cry had escaped his lips. But his eyes were burning scarlet with hatred now.

* * *

"Off you go, everyone, off the bus, chop-chop!" Mrs. Cole's imperious voice urged the orphans the minute they arrived at the sea-side village. "Go play, dear children. And remember, behave or you'll go the whole week with a piece of bread!"

Young and older orphans poured out of the ancient bus and flooded the streets with excited shrieks and laughter. Some, even, stood and smelled the salty air in an awe-struck expression.

"Move on, you!" Mrs. Cole barked at the pale boy that was descending the bus staircase carefully. She gave him a great push so that he tripped and fell down, completely skipping the last step. The flesh wounds that had barely started to heal properly were ripped open again, leaving a bloody trail on the steps.

"You're gonna have to clean that up, boy," the driver growled at Tom.

"You heard him," Mrs. Cole said aggressively. "Pick up the mop, kid!"

* * *

Tom walked slowly through the trees away from the other kids, lonely and more miserable and hopeless than he had ever felt. He tended to be very motivated and the control over his emotions would leave a grown man surprised, but cleaning up your own blood from the extremely smelly city bus had something deeply melancholic in it. Especially when it had been spilt in the first place just because he had taken a book that its rich owners would never understand or even bother to open. And that drunken old cat had issues with the beggar girl he had convinced to help, when all the kids in her 'care' were the glorious offspring of hookers and crooks?

His usually ice-cold eyes stung and he blinked rapidly to choke back the tears. Tom deposited himself delicately on a flat stone in a place deep into the grove, and stared blankly at the naked earth.

The young boy's eye caught a clan of busy ants running in and out of their home, their antennas clutching leaves and seeds. They were so happy, so ignorant and busy. Sometimes he wondered whether his life would be easier to live if his perception was less agile. Would he be able to swallow perhaps the pathetic life he was supposed to live, in stead of constantly looking for ways to succeed and escape his fate? Or would he end up like the old cat, bitter and alone, gulping down cheap drink after cheap drink, not remembering how 'pathetic' is spelt?

Tom had never considered hurting himself, his brain was precious and his body blessed, but even so, what if nothing came out of it? What was the use, when, in the contrary, those characteristics got him in even worse trouble because everyone was jealous and scared of his abilities? What was the use of anything…?

Something stirred in the bush behind the ant-hole, and Tom's head shot up. It was green, scaly and slender; a snake.

Half a smile twitched on Tom's face. Snakes were the only creatures on earth that didn't shrink back at the sight of him, the only creatures that realized the greatness this small, emaciated boy hid inside him. They would come to him as if he were a snake-magnet, slithering and whispering, always addressing him as 'master' or 'the chose one'. They obeyed him hypnotized by his gaze and hang from every word he spoke. They weren't much to talk to, for their brain was infinitely smaller than his own, but still, it was nice to have some company once in a while.

Only this time, the disturbance caused to the bushes was more evident than those usually caused by the small grass snakes of England. Tom estimated that what he had first seen was just the tail of a gigantic snake. He got glimpses of loops thicker than both his skinny thighs put together, and then the large, triangular head greeted him in a low hiss.

" _Master_ ," the giant serpent bowed its head to the child.

" _Hi_ ," Tom hissed back, trying to take his usual imperious demeanor.

" _I_ _have long wished to meet you, my Master,"_ the snake whispered and its unblinking eyes with the vertical pupils widened in apparent delight.

Tom shot her- because the high voice and superb size suggested unmistakably a female- an appraising look.

 _"How did you come to hear about me?"_

The snake tilted its head to the side like a domesticated dog.

" _The universe whispers melodically to those who listen,"_ she answered cryptically.

It was Riddle's turn to tilt his head.

 _"And what did... ehm, the universe tell you about me?"_ _  
_ _"A song about a remarkable warrior, an outstanding leader and extraordinary..._ _ **riddle**_ _who will shift the destiny of humanity."_

 _"I... I'll be all those things?"_

 _"Do you know another Riddle?"_ smirked the snake, and, when Tom remained silent, she added: _"I can see greatness in you, Master, I am sure you are aware of that too."_

" _Yes_ ," breathed Tom before he could stop himself.

The snake smirked even broader, her poisonous fangs fully visible.

 _"What else do you know about my future?"_ he inquired breathlessly.

" _Magic_ ," she hissed instantly, _"I hear powerful magic flowing from you, springing like water from a fountain in the rainforests of my home, magic bewitching yourself and the aura around you."_

" _Magic_?" repeated Tom softly.

 _"Figure of speech, perhaps,"_ the snake shifted the loops of her body and rested her head on them like a child.

 _"What else?"_

 _"I hear Dark magic transforming you into me and me into you."_

 _"And?"_

 _"Nothing more, Master..."_

 _"What about the end? What's going to happen to me?"_ insisted Tom.

" _I cannot hear anything about this, Master, the deep future is clouded even for those adapt to listening to the songs of fate,"_ said the snake apologetically, but when she spotted Riddle's crimson eyes, she added: " _Master, greatness leads only to two results, either triumph or devastation."_

Tom seemed to be deep in thought, assessing possibilities.

" _I can live with that_ ," he finally said.

The snake felt the air with her tongue.

" _I_ _know_."

" _Why are you here?"_ Tom asked again.

 _"I am here for you, Master."_

 _"Why now?"_

 _"You were in a dark place."_

 _"How do you know? The universe sang about that too?"_

 _"Call that a... family's intuition,"_ the snake winked.

Tom fell back in silence.

 _"You're no ordinary snake, are you?"_

 _"No, Master,"_ she said delicately, "I _am no ordinary snake at all."_

 _"What is your- what abilities do you have?"_

 _"Oh, you will come to find out soon enough, Master_ ," she smiled airily _. "My sole mission now is your well-being, my Master_."

 _"And what's your name?"_

 _"I have no name, Master."_

 _"How could you have no name? Everyone's got a name,"_ muttered Tom, choking back comments on gross, disgraceful names.

" _I_ _have many names,"_ she whispered. " _Some have called me Lilith in the past, others preferred Eve or Lamya. But in my native countries I am known as Nagini, The Female Serpent."_

 _"Nagini, then,"_ concluded Tom.

 _"Nagini,"_ she echoed.

 _"So, Nagini,"_ started Riddle, _"what are you going to do for me now?"_

" _Cheer you up?"_ the emerald snake flicked her tongue.

 _"That'd be nice. And it_ _ **would**_ _prove you have special powers..."_

The serpent hissed louder, as if taking up the challenge. She turned her head around and her yellow eyes fell on the orphans playing in the distance. They were kicking around empty beer bottles and chasing each other in a game of hide-and-seek.

 _"I can see in your mind that they have wronged and hurt you, Master,"_ Nagini stated. " _They must pay."_

 _"They must,"_ agreed Tom. _"But I can't even move today, that old cat,_ " he pointed at Mrs. Cole who was supervising the games with her belt in hand _, "has had a good go on my back this week."_

 _"That can easily be taken care of,"_ Nagini smiled a toothy grin to reveal at least two more sets of poisonous fangs than the average snake. _"What did the human children do to you? I cannot see that in your mind, you protect yourself well."_

 _"Last year_ _they pushed me off that cliff over there,"_ Tom said darkly, _"the one that ends at the sea. They said they wanted to see if_ _freaks can fly."_

The serpent hissed louder than ever.

 _"I fell into the water, but the rocks didn't slash me and I could breath underwater. I swam and found a cave in a slit among the rocks of the cliff. When I returned here, they were telling the old cat that I had run away and she agreed to leave without searching."_

 _"They will pay today, Master,"_ Nagini stated, her vertical pupils opening sadistically in an almost human manner. _"And so will the woman."_

 _"Wondering whether_ _ **they**_ _can fly?"_ Tom asked through gritted teeth.

 _"No, Master, I am actually wondering whether they can enjoy my company."_

Nagini opened her mouth wide and all four sets of teeth secreted a yellowish liquid; snake venom.

A curt laugh escaped Riddle's lips and a crooked smile illuminated his tired face.

 _"Can you go down the cave on your own?"_ he asked mischievously.

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Amy Benson muttered worriedly, keeping her arms close to her small body.

"I told you," Tom said smoothly, "I've been here before, I know the way perfectly well."

"I still don't think it's a good idea, Riddle," Dennis Bishop eyed the taller boy suspiciously.

"I know you don't trust me, Dennis, and I totally get you, I wouldn't trust me either, but I swear on my life, it'll be worth the trip. I found the cave that time I fell off the cliff and it's absolutely amazing, you're going to love it," Tom beamed brightly.

"Does the trip include a woops-I-shoved-you-off-a-cliff part?" Dennis muttered.

"No, I told you, I want to make up for all the trouble I've got you in, we'll share all the treasure! We'll be rich!"

Tom continued walking through the weed-infested rocks and bushed in an odd crouched way that suggested he was still in pain due to the previous beatings. His grey tunic had some fresh stains on it and Amy didn't miss the chance to point them out to her friend.

"Come on, what can he do? Don't you see his back? Can't even walk proper, if he pulls a stunt we can take him down. Mrs. Cole said he hasn't eaten in two days, how difficult can it be?"

Dennis nodded with more confidence than he actually had, when Amy let out a high-pitched scream.

"Snaaake! I swear, I saw it there!"

"Just keep walking," Tom waved at them both in a reassuring tone. "The snakes here won't hurt you- _yet_."

Soon the air became more salty and angry, whipping their faces and spraying them with droplets of sea-water, so the three children had to wrap themselves in their thin clothing to keep warm.

"How much more?" cried Amy, her voice loud in order to cover the shrieking wind.

"Oh, we're close," Tom smiled broadly.

"Close to what, Riddle?" Dennis yelled, his hand keeping his precious hat on the top of his head. "That's the end of the way, the cliff's right there!"

"My point exactly! Come over and see, it's breathtaking!"

The kids approached the edge of solid ground carefully and finally stood next to Tom, who was gazing down. He was right, the view was absolutely amazing; the waves were churning and foaming around the large chunks of rock that had broken off the earth millions of years ago, while the rest of the cliff stood there, unmoving and stoic at its martyrdom of eternal attrition.

"It's really amazing," Amy admired, and Dennis nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Wanna see it up closer?" asked Tom, his eyes gleaming.

"How?" the kids demanded eagerly.

"You can jump down," Tom said matter-of-factly.

"Jump down? But you said-" started Amy in an slightly hysteric voice.

"I said I won't shove you off the cliff," nodded Tom seriously. "You're going to jump. Like this."

And with a theatric bow he dove down, both kids staring, jaws hanging open as Tom landed rather gracefully on a lower rock that was protruding from the main cliff surface. He flashed them a smile and waved 'come down'. But Amy and Dennis had suddenly lost all appetite for risky excursions with the freak of the institutions- not for all the money in the world would anyone climb down these rocks willingly.

Apparently that's what Tom thought too, because the next second reality was erased from the kids' minds and they were flowing in a sea of nothingness. 'Just jump down', a caring voice whispered in their ears, 'jump down, that's all you have to do'. The next time their brain was free to register external stimuli, they found themselves face to face with Tom Riddle- in the middle of the sea.

"Ahhh," shrieked Amy, for the sight of the sharp, bleak cliffs was just too much. In her panic, she slipped on the slime-covered rock they were standing on, but Riddle's iron clutch held her in place.

"You can't get yourself killed just yet," he said softly, "I'm not even started yet."

"What're you gonna do with us?" asked Dennis, his voice shaking violently with fright.

"Have fun," Tom smiled. "Come, the party is in there. Now, come along quietly, you don't want me to hurt you, do you? We're friends, aren't we?"

The small kids exchanged terrified looked. They weren't speaking, but their thoughts were obvious. They didn't know the boy leading the way. The kid they had known was weird, creepy even with his love for solitude and complete lack of emotion, but this one- this one was someone else. Not a boy, but a man or more, cold, without pity, because he enjoyed watching them suffer. Amy and Dennis obeyed him, for they couldn't fathom what could happen to them if they didn't- getting thrown to the raging Black Sea, perhaps, or having their skulls crashed on the rocks. Good thing they had no family to mourn and miss them...

Tom was leading the way through rocks and riffs, until he reached a sleek slit on the cliff's surface. With an elegant move, he slid in the water and gestured to follow him.

"I can't swim," Amy said, breathless.

"Doesn't matter."

The water was ice-cold, paralyzing, but not too deep. It also seemed to be pushing them on its own deeper and deeper inside the cave with minimal effort. After a few minutes of silence, Tom ascended stony steps and very gallantly offered his arm to help Amy out of the water. His clothes seemed already dry and warm, while they stood there, shivering, with knives stabbing them all over. It was pitch-dark, as if the light of life had never even heard of this place, and they couldn't see much, but the next second brilliant sparks erupted from Riddle's fingers and hovered around them.

They were in an underwater cavern, like the ones from fairytales, only it was a fair bet that no mermaids and other wondrous mythical creatures resided here. Actually, it looked like they were the only living beings around. Sharp stalagmites and stalactites adorned the cave's walls and black sand snapped under their feet. And small, shiny droplets of water were dripping from the stalagmites down to a lake, the metallic clink of the collision interrupting the deadly silence. If Amy hadn't been scared out of her mind, perhaps she would have thought the odd connection between this deserted, dark place and their guide.

"Comfy, isn't it?" Tom smiled a shark-smile. "Now, where is my other guest? She's my co-host, really."

He was talking casually, his smooth voice echoing in the small 'room', giving it an unearthly quality. And as if the kids were not scared enough by then, the tall boy started hissing and spitting without a break to breathe. Was he having some sort of seizure? But no, his eyes were as cold as ever, his posture rigid.

Something was glowing inside the lake now, a ghostly green and worryingly thin silhouette that was swiftly emerging and approaching the black coast.

Dennis seconded Amy with a scream this time when Nagini's jaws snapped less than an inch from his face. With a great splash, the giant serpent deposited itself on the ground, apparently untouched by the water.

 _"Master, how wonderful to see you again,"_ she bowed. " _And you brought company. Excellent."_

Nagini was looking greedily at the two children, as if she were deciding the recipe she would cook them with.

The kids were staring at the conversation between the orphan and the snake completely silent, not able to utter a word, until Dennis managed to stammer: "w-what i-is it s-sa-saying?"

He didn't expression surprise at Riddle's ability to communicate with a reptile, or even that snakes could really understand speech- all that mattered was getting back home.

"She's saying that she's hungry. And that she wonders how you taste," Tom answered the question in a conversational tone. "She's thinking she might take a bite. Not from the girl, too skinny, too much hair, but you, Dennis, my friend, should make a nice supper."

Nagini let out something that was unmistakably a snigger at the children's absolute horror.

"Nooo!" cried Amy, "please, don't- this can't be true, it can't, I don't- I don't believe it!" And she started punching herself hysterically, as if trying to wake up from the horrifying nightmare.

"I assure you, it's real," Tom said with unfaltering calmness. "That's why it's so much fun. But I told you, you don't have to be afraid of anything, only Dennis is invited over for dinner."

The snake had already made her way through the humans' feet and was close to Dennis, her head supported by her powerful muscles up high in the air. She flicked her tongue close to the boy's face, who was literally paralysed on the spot, and curled herself around him in a deadly embrace. His mouth opened in a silent cry for help, and his lips twitched in what could have been the word 'mummy', before Nagini mimicked him, the pinkness of her mouth and the sharpness of her teeth glistening in the sparks Tom had conjured.

Before Riddle's delighted eyes, the snake stretched, and her extremely flexible jaws opened wide, far beyond the width of her own head. The shiny green loops forced the poor child's body inside her throat the moment Amy collapsed with a muffled thud on the black sand.

Dennis' arms and legs were twitching spastically and the most nauseating scream came from the snake's gut, causing Riddle to roar with laughter. Nagini was convulsing now violently to swallow down the child, when suddenly she made an odd motion as if she sneezed, and spit Dennis out, right next to the unconscious Amy; he had passed out too, covered in saliva and yellowish venom.

" _Now why would you do that for?"_ complained Tom, with the expression of someone who had just been denied the highest pleasure in life.

 _"Bloody kid, too many bones,"_ Nagini hissed angrily. _"What do they feed you up there? The bones almost punctured my scales... Also, I insist that a dead body would reflect badly on you."_

 _"Nobody will find him here!"_

 _"I am deeply sorry, Master, you will need me later in life, dying here of indigestion is not an option for us. But you can make good use of my venom now by applying it on your back-wounds."_

Tom thought for a while and, in the end, he had to admit the logic of his new pet. He was about to take his shirt off and start tending to the slashes on his back, when he noticed Nagini slithering back to the lake.

 _"Where are you going?"_ he demanded.

 _"I have to go, my Master,"_ Nagini said in an apologetic tone. _"You don't need me anymore."_

 _"When will you be back?"_

 _"When the time comes, you will be in great need of me, and I will be there to offer you assistance and devote my life to you entirely."_

Tom stared at her blankly, as if he weren't sure of the emotions he was experiencing.

 _"We will meet again, I promise,"_ she said kindly.

 _"Soon?"_ Tom asked, his face wearing back the usual expressionless mask.

 _"Possibly_ ," the snake hissed and dove into the water. She had reached the other end of the cavern when she emerged for a last time and waved with her tail to be gone out of sight the next second.

Tom stood there, on the black coast, until the final waves she had caused ceased.

 _A/N: Thank you for reading, please let me know what you think._


End file.
